Thunderbird, ITESM offer unique Latin program

Latin Trade, Nov, 1998

A new Master's in International Management-Latin America (MIMLA) program prepares students in Mexico and other Latin countries for successful careers in global management.

Two top-ranked institutions--Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management, in Glendale, Arizona, and Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) in Monterrey--have joined forces to offer a unique distance-learning program.

"Our goal is to prepare executives for the next millennium," says Dr. Humberto "Bert" Valencia, Thunderbird marketing professor and program director. "The MIMLA curriculum covers global business management, cross-cultural communications and international relations with a focus on global and Latin American issues."

Both Thunderbird and ITESM are well-established, prestigious schools. For three years in a row, U.S. News and World Report has ranked Thunderbird the number one school in international business, and Business Week rated Thunderbird's executive education program as number one for global business education. Thunderbird has more than 30,000 alumni, or "T-birds," worldwide.

With more than 80,000 undergraduate and graduate students, ITESM is the largest private university in Latin America, with the top-ranked MBA program in the region, according to America Economia. When MIMLA students complete their studies, they receive a master's degree from both institutions.

ITESM has invested US$40 million in a distance-education system that has 26 sites in Mexico. Plans are to install another 200 sites throughout Latin America. At the same time, Thunderbird has developed distance-learning facilities that can deliver interactive courses to students worldwide.

In August, 116 students began the 22-month MIMLA program with 1 0 days of intensive on-campus studies and orientation in Arizona. The students are taking live classes via satellite in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey and will conclude with another on-campus seminar in Phoenix. Next year, the program will expand to two other sites in Mexico, plus Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Lima, Peru.

The MIMLA is a lockstep program that requires all participants to take identical courses in a prescribed sequence. Thunderbird teaches 12 of the 20 courses, and ITESM teaches the other eight. All faculty members have a doctorate in their field of teaching expertise. The program's official language is English; however, selected presentations will be delivered in Spanish. The program includes courses in English business communications.

Students and faculty can discuss issues during the broadcasts, or via the Internet or fax. On-site faculty facilitators conduct group discussions, administer exams, give handouts and collect reports. In addition, students have on-line access to Thunderbird's "virtual university," which includes an extensive library, school newspapers and other information.

"This program is both high-tech and high-touch," says Dr. Valencia. "We do many different things to make the virtual program as personal as possible, such as using chat rooms for faculty office hours and student bonding at the start of the program. Our graduation ceremonies, which will be held in Phoenix, will be broadcast to our sites so that family, friends and business associates can participate."

The MIMLA program is oriented toward high-potential individuals in Latin America who wish to earn an international MBA but cannot study aboard due to career, family or financial considerations. Classes are held on an executive weekend schedule, permitting students to complete their master's degree studies with little disruption to jobs or families.

"Because of the economies of scale in delivery mechanisms, we can offer the MIMLA program at less than half the cost of an on-site program," says Dr. Valencia. "In addition, there are no relocation costs or additional living expenses for students."

The MIMLA program has several other advantages over a traditional MBA, according to Dr. Valencia. "We consider MIMLA to be an MBA because we cover the basic and advanced topics in business that would be taught in an MBA program. The first plus is for the international nature of our program, which makes it highly suitable for the global economy of today. The second plus is that because this program is offered via distance-learning, we are also training future executives on how to work at a distance, using the Internet, video conferencing and other collaborative technological tools."

Enrollment applications for the 1969 program are now being accepted.